Fyi - Fashion

FYI

What would a woman do, for instance, without her pearls, her black cashmere sweater and a pair of well-tailored black pants?

For that matter, how can a wardrobe work without a good white shirt, jeans, a batch of T-shirts and a trench coat, too?

In recent years, running shoes, a muffler and a big shawl have been added to the list of invaluables. Though the toe or heel shape may change, basic pump shoes are also indispensable.

Now you can add a slim black skirt that ends above the knee, a pair of well-cut boots coming to just below the knee and cowboy boots.

Sunglasses are a way of life today. Animal patterns are in for all foreseeable time. The most popular continues to be leopard spots or tiger or zebra stripes.

The little black dress has now shrunk to the shape of a slinky slip. This new version will probably stay a long while.

And never forget the black ribbon hair bow. Coco Chanel knew a thing or two when she started wearing hers in the 1920s.

UNDIES OF THE STARS

Frederick's of Hollywood, which made a name as a purveyor of indiscreet lingerie, has gathered some of the undies of the stars to fill its new Lingerie Museum.

The museum, at 6608 Hollywood Blvd. in Hollywood, Calif., boasts bras from entertainers including singer Belinda Carlisle, Ava Gardner and the Pointer Sisters (which one we're not sure - maybe they played musical bras). There's also a chance to check out Zsa Zsa's undergarments. We don't think these are the ones she was wearing during her police officer slap-fest, but they're certainly an eyeful.

There's also a bras-through-the-ages display, which first got the public interested in the history of the underwire when Frederick's opened a temporary bra museum about four years ago to celebrate the company's 40th anniversary.

NEW HAIR CARE

The latest hair-care techniques come to us from Dan Garvey, hair stylist extraordinaire for Supercuts Inc. He calls them the scrunch and the splow.

We weren't too impressed by the scrunch, which is basically squishing up your hair as you dry it so you can get a crinkly effect. Nothing too revolutionary there. We were more interested in the splow.

To splow, lean forward so your hair falls toward the floor. The hair should be dry. Then, while holding a blow dryer in one hand and a bottle of hairspray in the other, blow and spray simultaneously. The theory is the dryer will distribute the hair spray more evenly so the hair will have more volume. This makes us a bit nervous. Think about it: dry hair, a pressurized can and a heat source. We don't recommend splowing.